Beijing catches breath after sandstorm

Ferry boat passengers look at Hong Kong business district in Hong Kong Tuesday, March 23, 2010. Record pollution levels were registered in Hong Kong, 1,240 miles (2,000 kilometers) to the south from Inner Mongolia where much of the pollution originated, partly because of sandstorms. Schools were ad

/ AP

Ferry boat passengers look at Hong Kong business district in Hong Kong Tuesday, March 23, 2010. Record pollution levels were registered in Hong Kong, 1,240 miles (2,000 kilometers) to the south from Inner Mongolia where much of the pollution originated, partly because of sandstorms. Schools were advised to cancel outdoor activities and at least 20 elderly people sought medical assistance for shortness of breath, Hong Kong's radio RTHK reported. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)

Ferry boat passengers look at Hong Kong business district in Hong Kong Tuesday, March 23, 2010. Record pollution levels were registered in Hong Kong, 1,240 miles (2,000 kilometers) to the south from Inner Mongolia where much of the pollution originated, partly because of sandstorms. Schools were advised to cancel outdoor activities and at least 20 elderly people sought medical assistance for shortness of breath, Hong Kong's radio RTHK reported. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung) (/ AP)

The Associated Press

Hong Kong business district is seen from a ferry terminal in Hong Kong Tuesday, March 23, 2010. Record pollution levels were registered in Hong Kong, 1,240 miles (2,000 kilometers) to the south from Inner Mongolia where much of the pollution originated, partly because of sandstorms. Schools were ad

/ AP

Hong Kong business district is seen from a ferry terminal in Hong Kong Tuesday, March 23, 2010. Record pollution levels were registered in Hong Kong, 1,240 miles (2,000 kilometers) to the south from Inner Mongolia where much of the pollution originated, partly because of sandstorms. Schools were advised to cancel outdoor activities and at least 20 elderly people sought medical assistance for shortness of breath, Hong Kong's radio RTHK reported. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)

Hong Kong business district is seen from a ferry terminal in Hong Kong Tuesday, March 23, 2010. Record pollution levels were registered in Hong Kong, 1,240 miles (2,000 kilometers) to the south from Inner Mongolia where much of the pollution originated, partly because of sandstorms. Schools were advised to cancel outdoor activities and at least 20 elderly people sought medical assistance for shortness of breath, Hong Kong's radio RTHK reported. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung) (/ AP)

Beijing caught its breath Tuesday after the dispersal of sandstorms that had shrouded cities in northern China in an unhealthy cloud of sand and grit.

The return to normal weather also was good news for South Korea, Taiwan and Hong Kong, which had all felt the fallout from the storms.

The storms were the latest sign of the effects of desertification: Overgrazing, deforestation, urban sprawl and drought have expanded deserts in the country's north and west. The shifting sands have gradually encroached onto populated areas and worsened sandstorms that strike cities, particularly in the spring.

China's Central Meteorological Station Web site said Tuesday that no large-scale sandstorms were forecast in the north of China, while some southeastern provinces such as Jiangxi and Zhejiang may experience traces of them.

Skies also were clearer in Taiwan. Its Environmental Protection Administration said Tuesday it will take another day for air to clean up completely in the south of the island.

Over the past two days, people around Taiwan had worn face masks. Skyscrapers were enshrouded in dust. Taiwan is 1,600 miles (2,600 kilometers) away from Inner Mongolia where much of the pollution originated.

The weekend sandstorm caused the worst "yellow dust" in South Korea since 2005, and authorities issued a rare nationwide dust advisory.

Chun Youngsin, a researcher at the Korea Meteorological Administration, said only mild levels hit South Korea on Tuesday and no advisory had been issued.

But pollution remained at severe levels Tuesday in Hong Kong, where the sandstorm has exacerbated a chronic problem with pollution caused by buses and other vehicles that authorities in the southern Chinese territory have been reluctant to address.

After hitting record levels on Monday, pollution quantities were expected to ease to merely "high" or "very high" on Wednesday, the government said, according to Hong Kong's RTHK radio.

A massive sandstorm hit Beijing in 2006, when winds dumped about 300,000 tons of sand on the capital.

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Associated Press writer Debby Wu in Taipei and Kim Kwang-Tae in Seoul contributed to this report.